Solid-state lighting, for example, light emitting diodes (hereinafter, LED) are renowned for their long life and their ability to resist shock. They have been used for some time as the high-mount stop light in automobiles, where no particular amplification or reflection of the light is needed. Attempts have been made in the past to adapt LEDs for other purposes such as taillight units; however, these attempts have applied LEDs typically encased in plastic beads to flat surfaces, which were then ganged on the cylindrical end of, for example, a bayonet base. Little or no light was directed to the reflector for proper light distribution. For the most part, these devices do not meet Federal regulations. Further, it has been found necessary to greatly multiply the number of individual LED units to increase the light output to meet Federal regulations; however, this increase in number has also increased the amount of heat generated and this excess heat has a deleterious effect on the lamp employing the LEDs.